Our View: Jefferson High School football needs complete review

Thursday

Oct 17, 2013 at 2:05 PMOct 17, 2013 at 2:05 PM

Jefferson’s football program is dysfunctional. A team that forfeits its last three games of the season clearly has a problem. A team that starts with more than 30 students on the roster and sees only eight show up for a practice needs to be examined from top to bottom.

Administrators at Jefferson High School and in the Rockford School District central office must figure out what went wrong this season and make fixes before the offseason conditioning program begins.

We’ve heard the politically correct answers from officials. Players were suspended because they skipped practice and there weren’t enough left to field a team. “Accountability and integrity” is the company line.

But “accountability and integrity” should start at the top. Everyone from the School District’s top administrators to the leaders at the school to the coaches must look at what they could have done to avoid this embarrassing chapter in Jefferson football history. No NIC-10 team is believed to have forfeited a football game before for a reason other than a teacher strike.

The Illinois High School Association, which regulates sports and other interscholastic activities, does not keep records of these kinds of forfeits, “although I think it’s safe to say that forfeits of this nature don’t occur normally,” according to Kurt Gibson, IHSA assistant executive director. The IHSA does not have a policy that would cover Jefferson’s situation.

It’s easy to blame the kids. Most of the varsity football players routinely skipped practice, and coach Patrick Babcock suspended those players and forfeited the last three games of the season.

We’re sure the Jefferson players THINK they had something better to do than practice. Or, perhaps, they didn’t like the way Babcock ran the team.

Too bad. Those who skipped practice need to realize that what happens in football practice translates into life after school. Once they enter the work force, they are expected to show up on time and do what their boss tells them. You don’t get to pick your boss on the football field or on the job. Show up, go out there, and do your best; that’s all anyone can ask.

The students made a commitment to play at the beginning of the season. They needed to honor that commitment.

That does not absolve Babcock, however. For some reason, he was not able to relate to his players. He lost control. When most of the players skip practice, that’s a statement about leadership.

But it’s not just about him. Coaches need the support of the principal, the parents and the administration on Seventh Street. Successful programs have that kind of support.

Athletics should be part of the learning process in any school. They shouldn’t be about wins and losses; they should be about teamwork, responsibility, camaraderie, physical fitness and the value of hard work.

The Jefferson players need to realize their actions have consequences that affect far more people than themselves. Start with the teammates who did try to put in the work.

The forfeits affected not just the Jefferson players but the opposing players who missed out on the competition and their own learning process. High school careers are short, and you can never get back a game not played. The games these teenagers play could be their last experiences in organized athletics.

Jefferson’s sophomore team has a winning record, which creates hope for Jefferson’s football future. School leaders need to determine how to make those winning sophomores into winning juniors and seniors.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a loftier position in the standings. If players show up, work hard and remain committed to the team, that would be considered victory. It didn’t happen this year.